A rough hand grasped at her arm and Sarah’s vision swam as she tried to focus on what was going on around her. All she got was a bleary vision of a... cave? It might have been a cave, she wasn’t quite sure.

Nim... where... are we? the woman asked blearily

Oh... I’m not sure Nim replied, her voice just as unfocused. Last the last thing I remember was that we... we were talking to... she trailed off as Sarah’s vision came into focus.

The rough hand around her arm was a bloated, overlarge slab of flesh attached to a body that could probably be described with the same words. A pair of dull, misshapen eyes looked down at her with what she vaguely recognized as desire. The woman clenched her teeth together as her mind took stock of the situation she found herself in.

The room around her was darkly lit and Sarah could smell the near overpowering smell of decay drifting through the air. Of course, the entire fucking swamp smelled like that so it wasn’t exactly a ‘new’ experience for Sarah. Leering down at her was one of the swampfolk native to the area, the type that Sarah had taken to calling ‘Trackers’. It was only then the fact that she was currently both armourless and shirtless occurred to her.

“OH you finally awake!” the Tracker jeered in its broken english. “Good! Good! That very good!”

Nim, weapon, any weapon, Sarah snarled to her companion. She’d heard stories like this... what happened to the women captured by the swampfolk and judging by the noticeable bulge in the ‘man’s’ pants, the stories were not exaggerations.

Searching, stall it, Nim replied as she began to rapidly scan the room.

Make it fast, Sarah replied, her mental voice coming out a bit strained. “Er... yeah, good... hi.”

“You pretty, me Stan!” the Tracker said, his enunciation giving Sarah a headache after just a few seconds of listening.

“That’s... nice, I’m Sarah,” Sarah replied as she tried to calmly release her arm from his grubby, swollen fingers which more closely resembled sausages then actual digits.

Her efforts were in vain however because the thick bastards were locked around her like a vicegrip. The woman’s teeth ground together as ‘Stan’ increased the strength of his grip and sent a wave of pain roaring through Sarah’s body.

“No, no, no,” Stan said, shaking his head. “You going to stay there. You prove self strong enough to be wife! We have many childrens!”

“I’m... flattered,” Sarah grunted as she tried again to squirm away. “Really, I am, but I’m kind of seeing someo-”

“STAN NO SAY TALK!” the Tracker roared in her face, slapping Sarah across the jaw with its freehand. “We make strong childrens!”

NIM Sarah shouted within her mind. I NEED A WEA-

The woman’s mental shout was cut short as her free hand reached down and snagged a slim solid object from where it lay on the ground, bringing it up and obscuring it behind her hand.

There, I trust you can find some use for it, Nim replied.

Thanks, Sarah said gratefully as she felt the smooth object against her palm and Stan glowered down at her, licking his lips.

“Good, you not fight,” the Tracker stated, a wide smile crossing his face. “Dey alwys di when dey fight and then dey cannna make babies.”

Nim... would you mind doing the ‘talking’ for this? I feel like it would be easier if he was... distracted first, Sarah asked the alicorn.

...must I? Nim asked, her voice coming out disturbed before she let out a sigh. Very well.

“An tha’s bad because... because I wanna make yer babbies...” Sarah said, her voice turning coy as the cool dampness of the cave drifted over her breasts and she fluttered her eyelashes. “Yer so... sexa, Stan!”

“Relly?” Stan asked in surprise... what could possibly have been called a blush crossing his face. “Ah wasn’ spectin ya ta say thad.”

“Ya don captur ma huart,” Sarah replied, her face shifting into a look of sizzling seduction. “Now take ma!”

A gigantic goofy grin of excitement crossed Stan’s face and he let go of Sarah's free hand, it groping for something Sarah wanted no part of. Well... that wasn’t strictly true. As the malformed giant pulled his pants down Sarah surged forwards and drove the dagger of bone directly into the ‘man’s’ crotch.

Stan let out a bellow of sharp pain as the bone penetrated him and Sarah rolled to the side and then dashed past the keening Stan who was bleeding heavily. The woman ran forwards through the dark cavern, her catlike eyes tracking the environment as she went, helping her jump and dodge beneath giant roots.

Right between the testicals, well placed Sarah, Nim mentally complemented her as the woman dodged beneath another branch.

Thanks, good acting, Sarah replied as a scream of pure rage echoed down the corridor behind them and she heard the heavy, and in this case incredibly painful, steps of the Tracker chasing.

’Twas not hard, he was an idiot, Nim replied.

Before the conversation could get any further, a malformed face came into her vision. It was one of the smaller swampfolk, in its hands was a double barreled shotgun.

“Pa?” it called out uncertainly. Clearly it lacked Sarah’s night vision. That was something the woman could take advantage of! The woman didn’t stop sprinting as she closed the distance with the swampfolk and sent an uppercut into its lower jaw. The hick spun with the power of the blow and it dropped the shotgun. Sarah bent down to pick it up and grasped it in one hand before the swampfolk managed to react. Unfortunately, that was all the luck she had.

The little bastard recovered from her punch and sent one of its own at her, hitting Sarah in the sternum. She stumbled backwards, gasping in pain and ended up with her back against the wall.

“Whaddidya do to my pa?!” the mongrel screamed angrily.

“Stabbed him in the balls,” Sarah grunted as she brought the shotgun up and pulled the trigger... nothing happened. “You didn’t load it?!” Sarah shouted outraged by the hick’s stupidity.

“I-” instead of giving the thing more time to talk, Sarah brought the butt of the shotgun slamming into its larynx. The creature gasped in pain and Sarah brought the gun across in a diagonal smack to the side of its skull. The skull splattered and Sarah didn’t spare the bastard a single thought as she turned on her heel and continued down the way she’d been going.

She took off and ran for five minutes, continuing to dodge roots and rocks until she suddenly came to a dead end. Her eyes widened and she turned to run the other way only to find Stan walking slowly towards her.

“You gonna pay for all dat,” the swampfolk said menacingly.

The woman awoke blinking rapidly, her breath coming in gasps and her body drenched in sweat. Her eyes glanced over at Nim who was looking off into the distance.

“Another dream?” the alicorn asked in concern as she redirected her gaze at the woman.

“Yeah... ‘Stan’ again,” Sarah replied sourly. “I really wish you didn’t have to focus so much of yourself on keeping a lookout...” she added as she hugged herself against Nim’s side and shivered. Nim reflexively reached out with a wing and covered the woman with it, pulling her closer still.

“I know... I’m sorry, Sarah,” Nim said quietly, looking down at Sarah’s shivering self with concern as she bent her head and gave her a concerned nuzzle.

Sarah let out a long sigh as she pulled the muzzle close and hugged it tightly. “Just... don’t leave me, Nim,” she said quietly.

“You know I never would,” Nim murmured softly as she closed her eyes and simply held the woman.

This was hardly the first time the two had been down this particular road of conversation. Ever since Luna’s departure Sarah had become... possessive of her. Understandably so really. One of the only two people Sarah to whom she had gifted her heart, had vanished unexpectedly and the other was the only person on the planet who could help her through her night terrors.

Sarah’s breathing slowly returned to its normal rate and she released Nim. “Sorry,” the woman said, looking down.

“Think nothing of it,” Nim replied as she gave the woman a comforting nuzzle, trailing over her naked chest and shoulders. “You know that you can always count on me for anything, Sarah. Especially something as simple as comforting you after a nightmare.”

“Right... right...” Sarah said as a bittersweet smile crossed her face. “Imagine, Sarah Summers, the ‘Lone Wanderer’, having a nightmare,” she continued, her voice morphing into a dry mockery of Three Dog’s.

Nim frowned at her and the mare’s sea green eyes locked onto hers. “Sarah, hush yourself,” she said in a steady tone. “You are just as susceptible to nightmares as anyone else. No matter who you are or what you have done... there is always something lurking in the back of your mind waiting to cut you down.”

Sarah stared into Nim’s eyes for a long moment before she broke the stare and buried her face in her soft neck fur. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Please do,” Nim murmured as she gave the woman’s bare back another nuzzle, leaving a kiss as well before she pulled her wing over Sarah again. “Now then, it is not quite sunup yet, why don’t you get back to sleep?”

Sarah frowned against the alicorn’s neck. “I don’t know if I can,” she muttered. “I just don’t.”

“Well, it is either that or spend the rest of the night lying awake beside me while I do my best to help our body compensate for the lack of sleep,” Nim pointed out. “And while I would be fine with that, are you sure you would?”

Sarah let out a tired sigh into the soft fur and then nodded. “Yes... I am for today... we’re still another day out from the Capital Wasteland aren’t we?”

“That’s what the sign not too far back said,” Nim agreed with a nod. “Or at least that was the ‘one day marker’ I remember from the way up.’

“Well then, I think I’ll just snuggle,” Sarah said, pulling away from Nim’s neck and turning herself so that she was lying on her side against Nim, the mare’s fur against her chest. Nim smiled and leaned down to give her a soft kiss on the lips before she returned to gazing off in distance, though she did wrap her wing around the woman. Sarah let out a relaxed, or somewhere close to relaxed sigh and rested her head against Nim’s side.

Luna lay awake, staring at the night sky from her place on the balcony. Jackdaw was leaning casually against the railing, his keen thestral eyes ever vigilant despite his relaxed posture.

“Still think this was a better idea than getting drunk?” Jackdaw asked the Queen whose eyes were still skyward.

“Hmm...” Luna blinked and then glanced over at him “I’m sorry, Jackdaw, what was that?”

“I asked if you still thought this was a better idea than getting tossed,” Jackdaw replied with a shake of his head. “I mean, I’m all for staring at the heavens with a beautiful mare at my side, but well, you know.”

Luna snorted faintly and shook her head. “Indeed, though I am not exactly the mare of your dreams,” she said, a faint smirk crossing her face.

“No you’re-wait you’ve peeked?” Jackdaw asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I was bored and I did not think you would mind overly much,” Luna replied. “Though I must say... it changes by the day, still, I have never seen myself within those fantasies.”

“You’re my boss, Lu. We set the ground rules already,” the stallion replied before frowning. “Oh, we’ve got company at eight o'clock.”

Luna frowned and followed his gaze to see Celestia flying quietly towards her, the large white wings carrying her through the night air with ease.

“I’ll take off then, have a good chat, later, Lu,” Jackdaw told her with a smile as he flapped his wings and launched himself airborne, passing Celestia on her way in and giving the alicorn a smarmy smile and an admiring glance on the way by.

The elder alicorn gave the thestral a smile of her own before landing beside Luna and settling down next to her. Luna let out a sigh and leaned against her sister’s side.

“Hi, Tia,” Luna said softly.

“Hi, Lulu,” Celestia murmured in reply. “Another failure?”

“Another ten is more like it,” Luna replied dourly, her gaze becoming more unhappy. “And the strangest thing is... it shouldn’t be this difficult.”

“Oh?” Celestia inquired with a frown. “It isn’t as if reaching across the dimension gap is easy, Lulu. Especially when you’re trying to bring back someone someone who isn’t from Equestria.”

“I know!” Luna snapped angrily. “I’m not saying it should be easy, I’m saying that it shouldn’t be this HARD!”

Celestia flinched internally but kept her gaze sympathetic and leaned over to nuzzle Luna. “I know that you’re frustrated, Lulu, but yelling at me isn’t going to help anything,” she said in a lofty voice before adding in a quieter undertone. “But you may if you wish.”

Luna snarled but let out a sigh as her head slumped against Celestia’s. “I just... I just want them back,” she murmured. “I don’t know why I can’t just use Nim as a beacon... I know everything about her and she is technically from Equestria, so there should be nothing preventing it... but every time that I almost ‘catch’ her she slips from my grasp.”

The elder alicorn sighed and leaned down to nuzzle Luna’s head as it drooped down to the floor of the balcony. Her sister’s ears twitched beneath her attentions and Celestia smiled as she played with them for a moment.

“Enjoying yourself?” Luna muttered.

“Why yes, yes indeed I am,” Celestia said as she tweaked one of the ears. “I’m spending a beautiful evening beneath the stars with my darling sister, sharing in a bonding activity as old as time itself.”

Luna’s ears kept on flicking and she let out a snort. “And what activity would that be?” she inquired as she shook her head and glanced up at her sister.

“Annoying my baby sister,” Celestia answered with a smirk. “It is quite fun.” Luna glared at her and pulled away slightly, or tried to anyways, Celestia had wrapped a wing around her and pulled her closer. “Oh no, you’re not getting away that easily.”

Luna let out a shriek of surprise as Celestia pulled a pair of loose feathers out of her wing and began to tickle her mercilessly. The blue mare squirmed in an attempt to escape, but it was pointless, she was caught. The fact that she was belting out laughter loud enough to put a shouting minotaur to shame didn’t help matters for her.

It went on like that for close to five minutes until Celestia released Luna from her grasp and the blue alicorn collapsed on the ground, her breath coming in and out in great heaves.

“Sweet Christ, Tia...” Luna panted. “That was... not like you... at all...”

“Au contraire,” Celestia stated, giving her a nuzzle. “I’m your older sister, Luna and I lost you for a thousand years. I can’t stand to see you so unhappy... so I wanted to cheer you up.”

“And this was the best way you could think of?” Luna demanded, finally having regained control of herself.

“No, but it was the most fun,” Celestia replied deviously.

Luna stared at her for a long moment before her horn began to glow and several of her own loose feathers rose into the air. “Well of course, dear sister; you know this means war!” Luna cried out as her feathers descended upon Celestia.

“Well, I know an image that I’m going to have in my head for a while,” Jackdaw commented from where he sat on a cloud beside Tornado Kicker.

“Mhm,” Tornado replied sternly while privately taking care to notice where Luna’s feathers produced the most laughter. It might come in useful one of these days, or nights.

“Oh stop being so sober about it, Tornado,” Jackdaw said with a small smirk. “All you Kickers ever do is frown.”

“That’s not true,” Tornado stated, glancing at the other guard Captain with a slightly annoyed look too. “We also scowl.”

Jackdaw blinked for a second before a few chuckles escaped from his lips. “I guess what Cloud says about you is true,” he stated.

“Oh, and what does my niece say about me?” Tornado inquired placidly.

“That you really do have a sense of humor beneath all that iron,” Jackdaw answered.

“I’ve been known to,” Tornado agreed as he watched the mare he loved be tortured heartlessly. “How do you know Cloud?”

“Ran into her after one of her big shows,” Jackdaw answered casually. “She was hot and sweaty and my apartment had a shower.”

“I am oddly enough not surprised,” Tornado said after a long moment before he let out a sigh. “So, in all seriousness, how is Luna holding up?”

Jackdaw’s smile ran away from his face. “Same as she has been,” he answered. “I do my best, but I can only keep her happy for a few hours. I’m honestly surprised that, well... I’m monitoring her at all times for a reason.”

Tornado simply nodded slowly. “Thank you.”

“For what? Doing my job?” Jackdaw replied with a raised eyebrow.

“No, for putting so much care into your job,” Tornado said before he got to his hooves and stretched. “I’m going to take a small flight while this ‘war’ goes on. Keep an eye on them.”

“Will do,” Jackdaw affirmed, giving the other Captain a one winged salute. “Fly safe.”

“I’ll manage,” Tornado stated before launching himself away.

“Yeah, if night time flying runs in the family, I’ll bet you will,” Jackdaw said with a smirk before returning his gaze to Celestia and Luna who were currently chasing each other across the balcony armed with a wide array of feathers.